A national report sees a sharp increase in the number of law enforcement officers killed on the job in the first six months of the year.

The report released July 22 by The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund shows that 67 officers died from January through June, up 31 percent over the same period last year.

Crashes killed 26 officers in the first half of 2014 – a 37 percent increase. Among them was Plymouth officer Gregory Maloney, who died in an on-duty motorcycle accident April 1.

Gun deaths spiked to 25 in the first half of this year – a 56 percent increase over the first six months of 2013, the report found. Investigating suspicious persons or situations was the leading circumstance of fatal shootings, with six officer fatalities; followed by ambushes, with five officer fatalities.

In a statement, Craig Floyd, chairman and CEO of The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, called the spike in officer deaths in 2014 “alarming.”

“We had seen significant declines in officer fatalities the last two years, so the spike in deaths this year is particularly alarming,” Floyd said. “The sharp rise in officers killed by gunfire – many in ambush-style attacks – as well as a significant increase in fatal on-duty heart attacks reminds us that much more work needs to be done to improve officer safety and wellness.”

Sixteen officers died due to other causes in the first half of 2014, the same as the number reported during the same time last year, the report found. Job-related illnesses, such as heart attacks, increased 62 percent in the first half of 2014, with 13 officer fatalities compared to eight during the same period last year.

California led all states with eight officer fatalities; followed by Florida, New York, Texas and Virginia, each with four police officer fatalities, the report found.